#PartnersForChange – Pebbles Project

About Pebbles Project

The Pebbles Project’s is a non-profit organisation started in 2004 by Sophia Warner, a Special Needs teacher.

The NGO was initially started to provide early development education and intervention services to children within the wine-farming communities suffering from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). The organisation soon realised that there was a greater need in these communities, not just for those with learning disabilities.

The Pebbles Project supports over 1500 children between the ages of 0 – 18 and their families in the farming communities of Somerset West, Stellenbosch, Paarl, Wellington, Citrusdal as well as the Hemel-en-Aarde region close to Hermanus.

The Pebbles Project’s key focus and impact lies in providing support and intervention in five areas: Education, Health, Nutrition and Community protection.

Partnership for Change:

The partnership between Pebbles Project and the Cipla Foundation began in 2014 with the launch of the Owethu Clinic at the Villiera Wine Farm in Stellenbosch.

The key goal of the Owethu initiative is to provide Primary Healthcare Services to farming communities.

The partnership was thus born out of this common purpose to address healthcare issues in the Wine lands farming communities of the Western Cape with the full endorsement and support of the Western Cape Department of Health Wine lands district.

The first 1000 days

The Clinic is staffed by 2 Clinical Nursing Practitioners who address all the Primary healthcare needs of the community.

There is also a fully equipped dental unit that is staffed by a dental technologist who addresses basic dental needs and education around dental hygiene.

The Owethu clinic’s support starts with the Pebbles Project’s pregnant mothers. They attend a series of information workshops aimed at promoting a healthy pregnancy.

It has been proven that from birth until the age of two, adequate provision of health and nutritional support is crucial to aid a positive social and economic outcome later in life. Each Mother signs a ‘Not A Drop’ pledge, promising to abstain from drinking alcohol for the duration of their pregnancy.

After attending all workshops and participating fully in the program, mothers receive a complete Baby Box full of items that they will need for their new baby.

Did you know?

At the moment the projects feed 585 children per month.

5,290 patients are managed through the Owethu Clinic and over 1000 of these are children that access their primary healthcare needs for free.

All adult patients receive their primary healthcare on a fee for service basis which includes medication.

To learn a little more about the good work the Pebbles Project do in conjunction with the Cipla Foundation watch the video below.